Fishing a Wacky Rig in Heavy Cover

A wacky rigged worm is a highly productive bait when fishing shallow water but many anglers shy away from casting it into heavy cover with the exposed hook that is normally used.

Fishing a wacky rig in heavy cover for bass can be an effective technique too, but it does require some special considerations to be successful.

Here are several tips for fishing a wacky rig in heavy cover for bass:

Choose the right rod and reel: Select a medium-heavy rod with a fast action tip, a high-speed reel, and 10-15 lb braid or fluorocarbon line to give you enough power to pull bass out of heavy cover.

Rig the wacky worm: Use a weedless wacky rig hook and rig the worm around the center to create a wacky worm that will fall slowly and look enticing to bass as it sinks.

Select the right bait: The best bait for fishing a wacky rig in heavy cover is a stick bait, such as a Yamamoto Senko or Zoom Fluke Stick. These baits are designed to fall slowly and erratically, which is perfect for enticing bass in heavy cover.

Choose the right weight: Use a weight that is just heavy enough to cast accurately and reach the bottom, but light enough to allow the bait to move naturally. A weightless wacky rig is a good option for heavy cover, as it will help the bait fall slowly and naturally.

Cast strategically: Look for gaps and openings in the heavy cover where bass might be lurking and cast your wacky rig in those areas. You can also cast to the edge of the cover and slowly work the wacky worm back toward you.

Take a moment and watch as bass pro Brandon Cobb explains his system for fishing weedless wacky worms through heavy cover: 

Overall, fishing a wacky rig in heavy cover requires patience, skill, and the right gear. With practice and persistence, you can develop a technique that works for you and catch plenty of bass in the process.

Heat Shrink Tubing Wacky Rig Hack

There is little doubt that wacky rigs are one of the more popular presentations for soft stickbaits like the Yamamoto Senko in the recent past. Typically when setting up the wacky rig, the hook is placed through bait around the mid-point of the worm such that it is perpendicular to its length.

One problem with rigging the hook directly through the bait; the hook and line (since the bait tends to ride up the line on the hook set) tears through the bait when reeling the fish in. Far to often this means we only catch one or two fish per bait which can get costly on a good day of catching!

Over the years, several hacks have been developed to help extend the life of the bait when wacky rigging including the use of o-rings and silicone tubing in the area of the bait where the hook penetrates.

Recently I found an interesting wacky rig hack by bass pro Jacob Wall where he uses heat shrink tubing to catch more fish/bait in a rather unique way which he describes in the following video...

Looks interesting and it might be time to check out these kits at my local Harbor Freight store 😎

If interested you can check the kit out via the following link:

Harbor Freight Heat Shrink Tubing Kit Link

Have fun and good luck!

Wacky Bass Tips

Tips for fishing the wacky rig that is 😁

When most people see the wacky rig for the first time, they often scoff at it as something a novice would rig because they didn't know better. Matter of fact, I avoided trying for years until the day when my back-seater catch 5 bass to everyone I would catch. When I switched, I quickly narrowed the gap and have been a fan ever since.

Even though it seems like a pretty easy rig to fish, cast near cover then twitch a few times, bring it in and cast to the next target. In reality however, there are a number of nuanced tips that can improve the rigs productivity as bass pro John Cox shares in this short video...

Using the right rod n reel combo, line, bait and casting technique will both help catch more bass as well as more fish per bait!